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America Under Attack: Marquette University Students Discuss What War Would Do

Aired September 13, 2001 - 12:15   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: I am keeping my eye on something taking place at George Washington Hospital. President Bush has been there, visiting those who have been injured in the plane crash into the Pentagon a couple of days ago. And the families of those people there -- the shot that we have there, we just saw moments ago, communications director Karen Hughes just walked out along with Karl Rove. And we expect President Bush to walk out of there the any moment.

President Bush is visiting those in the hospital, along with first lady Laura Bush.

We also just learned that the first lady has granted an interview with CNN's senior White House correspondent John King, and they'll be talking live this afternoon, right here on CNN, at 1:00 p.m. Eastern.

There you see President Bush stopping there momentarily, talking to members of the press there, immediately around that doorway. So I don't think that he is speaking to anyone in the general public out there. But the comments he has made this morning show that this has really touched him on a deep level.

He was very emotional this morning in the Oval Office, speaking to the press, before he went over to this George Washington Hospital Center, tears welling in his eyes. The president said that I weep and mourn with America, and high wishes he could comfort every single family whose lives have been affected, but make no mistake about it: My resolve is steady and strong about winning this war that has been declared on America.

He says, also, I am a loving guy, and I am also someone, however, who's got a job to do, and I intend to do it. This is a terrible moment, but this country will not relent until we have saved ourselves and others from the terrible tragedy that came upon America.

KAGAN: Leon, it was an interesting peek inside of the White House that we had. I think it was just over an hour ago. First we got to see the president holding a live conference call with the mayor of New York, Rudy Giuliani, and the governor of that state. And we got to eavesdrop in on that conversation, and then he turned around and started answering questions to the reporters who were with him. And while we were watching that, he did appear to become more and more emotional. Not out of control, but you could just see his eyes became a little more glassy, and as he talked more and became angrier at situation, you could see his emotions rising as well.

HARRIS: He just stopped there for an impromptu press conference, and we got someone in that press pool, and I want to hear what they have to say about what they heard him say just moments ago. And those comments you happened to mention there, that got him so emotional in the White House, after all of that, he went on to talk about the fact that war had been declared on the United States, and he says that they fully understand. He was talking about the folks that he had talked to about building a coalition about this. He was speaking to the Middle Eastern leaders as well as leaders in Europe and NATO, saying that they all fully understand that an act of war was declared on the United States, and they understand as well that act could have easily been declared on them. And he says that is what has steeled his resolve.

KAGAN: And the interesting confluence of pictures, to go from that, to see his father, the 41st president of the United States, former President Bush, speaking to a group in Boston. We got to listen to his comments as well.

HARRIS: We have another picture.

KAGAN: We have another picture. This time we want to check in in Milwaukee. That's where we find our Jeff Flock -- Jeff.

JEFF FLOCK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We have begun a trip around this country, taking a look at what people are thinking and saying out here in the rest of the United States. Obviously, the focus has been to the East. We want to take a look at the rest of it.

We are taking a stop one at Marquette University. This is Professor McCormick's class; it's comparative politics, and this is what is on so everyone's minds.

You have been watching things unfold.

First, I want to get hands. How many people saw live on television either planes crashing into buildings or towers collapsing? How many people saw something of it unfold live?

Amazing -- almost the entire class watched this happen.

What was going through your mind then, and what is now today, three days later?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was pretty scared because I had just gotten done with ROTC physical training, and I came in, and my grandma just called me, and I had just bought an airplane ticket yesterday, and she told me that two planes had crashed. And I looked at the news. They had an instant replay of the plane, the second one going through.

FLOCK: What are your fears today as we are now some ways down the road? Where do we go next from here?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My fears are that it's not over. My fears are that somebody is going to come by surprise and totally do something that's just as destructive to the entire nation.

FLOCK: How many people are worried about that, are worried about future terrorist attacks?

I guess pretty much everybody.

Going through your mind?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am quite nervous because I am a frequent flyer from Milwaukee to Boston, and I find it highly disturbing that someone was able to breach the security in an airport like Logan.

FLOCK: Are people really surprised about that? How many people -- give me some sense -- were really shocked about this, about what took place?

Yes, hang on, let me get to you with the microphone.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This isn't something that happens in real life. This is like something that you would see on a movie such as "Die Hard" or "Speed." It was like a special effect from a studio.

FLOCK: Is it you who is planning to travel tomorrow. Yes, tell me about that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, my flight is leaving tomorrow.

FLOCK: Good luck getting off.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know. At the beginning of the week, when this first happened, I thought it should be all back to normal by Thursday, today, or Friday, but with everything that I see, that flights are supposedly resuming, but for the people that were laid over on Tuesday, I am just curious as to whether I am going to get home or what is going to happen with all of the new regulations in the airports.

FLOCK: Obviously, we were talking about that earlier, the impact on our society.

I want to bring in Professor McCormick in.

What is your greatest fear about this? You have more perspective than some of these people in the class.

BARRETT MCCORMICK, MARQUETTE UNIVERSITY: I really hope that this incident doesn't shake our values. We are a free nation that stands for freedom and justice for all. I hope that we can stick to that.

FLOCK: Any other fears out there? Do people have similar fears?

Yes, go ahead.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We hear everyone talking about how we have to get back to normal and get back on with our lives, but my biggest fear is the very definition of normalcy is going to change now forever.

FLOCK: Life as we know it is going to be different: how so, anybody? How will it be different?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We as an American nation don't know war as a daily thing. I think that we are going to have a hard time adjusting to a war society, instead of our normal, going to work, going home, every day.

FLOCK: Before we get away, we've heard a lot we are at war. How many people feel we are at war right now? How many not?

Just both sides -- why?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't think that we are at war, because we don't know who we are fighting. We can't go to war when we don't have a specific enemy that we are going after. So we are kind of in a prewar stage. I think we will go to war, but we're not there yet.

FLOCK: Is that what you are thinking over there, that war is coming, one way or another?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think we are already at war. They took the steps of assaulting large numbers of civilians. The fact of the matter is we have to wipe out terrorism as it exists now. That's the only choice we have, or else this will keep happening. Better to do it now than when they have nuclear weapons, in five years.

FLOCK: Yes, go ahead.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think that war is more than just troops on the battlefield or missiles being thrown. It's more of a state of mind. That's also part of it. I think we have taken that first step, and definitely people have that state of mind already.

FLOCK: I don't know which one is more scary, the state of mind or the real thing.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My biggest fear is our response. War today is way different than war was 40 years ago. Just the technology has totally changed the way that it will be. And that's my biggest fear.

FLOCK: I hear that a lot, fears about the response, whatever it is, whenever it is -- yes?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think we are left with little choice: Either they have to turn over bin Laden or whoever is responsible for this or we just have to go in there and get him. I think that's what we are left with.

FLOCK: Did anybody get a sense of what it is, what we have to do, what do we have to -- let me get to you, hang on one second.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have heard some people saying that perhaps we shouldn't respond, because it would make the terrorists angry and perhaps make them want to do something more. But I think we have to remember that there are already angry with us, and they have already done something, and I think we have no choice but to respond to that.

FLOCK: Anybody else on that topic?

Yes, up here -- hang on.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I agree, but I also think that another reason why we have to respond is otherwise we will look weak in the face of terrorism.

FLOCK: Anybody got fears about that, looking weak, and what that may lead to down the road? Anybody, anybody else -- yes?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, if we don't do something, this will make America look weak, and this will just open ourselves up to further attacks.

FLOCK: Anybody got the other side of that? Anybody with the other viewpoint on that, concerned about what the impact will be, if the response is too strong, that that perhaps itself leads to a war situation?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If we go in to blow up a country, as some people have suggested, what will that do with the other countries around them, their allies -- will we get attacked by more people in more attacks throughout the world -- our Heartland?

FLOCK: Good question.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think that we are, basically, one of the strongest countries out there, and with our forces or whatever we use to take care of this problem, it's going to be substantially good no matter how much or how little we use, just because our power is looked at by so many countries -- and it's just a basis that we do something.

FLOCK: Sir, that is going to have to be the final word. We very much appreciate it.

Thanks to you, all, Professor McCormick's class. I appreciate it.

We will continue our travels around this country to give you some sense of what is going out here in the rest of the country.

That's the latest from Marquette University, in Milwaukee. Back to you folks.

KAGAN: Jeff, thank you very much. Good to hear from the young people, and thank the professor as well.

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